Josh McDermitt
The Walking Dead, Season 4, Episode 11: “Claimed”
Directed by Seith Mann
Written by Nichole Beattie & Seth Hoffman
Airs Sundays at 9pm ET on AMC
The Walking Dead’s midseason finale saw the various characters scattered in the wake of the prison assault, with the two episodes since the return picking up on the immediate aftermath. With Rick and Glenn both physically depleted by the prison assault and the events leading up to it, their situations seemed the most precarious. This week’s episode focuses on the two characters, as well as those surrounding them, in a solid episode that nonetheless highlights a major flaw with the series as a whole.
The character of Eugene, and the purpose he brings, is an interesting development for the show. The group’s venture to the CDC in the show’s first season effectively destroyed any possibility of the zombies being cured, and it’s quite unlikely that the solution to the entire crisis lies in the hands of a single person, which makes Eugene an intriguing entity whose endgame is, without doubt, something radically different from what he’s presenting. While it’s understandable that Abraham and Rosita would fall for Eugene’s con, the presence of someone such as Glenn changes the dynamic of the group. Glenn has seen both the CDC’s hopelessness in curing the epidemic as well as Hershel’s misguided attempts at saving zombies, which makes him sharp enough to know that a cure is nearly a pipe dream. The interactions between him and Eugene are thus promising aspects of the season, and what transpires between the two, as well as how Glenn deals with the information he gleams from Eugene, will be worth keeping an eye on. It will also be worth watching how Abraham and Rosita deal with the revelation of Eugene’s potentially fraudulent nature, as it may destroy any hope they might have of things ever returning to normal.
Danai Gurira, Chandler Riggs
Unfortunately, the raid on the house during Rick’s presence upstairs serves to highlight a major flaw in the series. The numerous scenes of Rick hiding from the unseen group are somewhat devoid of tension, as the show has proven repeatedly that any danger any of the main characters get into is trivial, unless it is heavily built up, as was the case with both Hershel and Andrea. This continues to be a major problem for a show set in the zombie apocalypse, as the stakes never feel as high as they should, due to the predictability of character survival. With the Governor now dead, and the characters scattered, the show is in the perfect position to re-establish the unforgiving nature of the world it is set in. This would go a long way towards improving the overall quality of the show, as well as making storylines such as Rick’s accidental trapping much more effective.
Overall, this is an entertaining, if somewhat average, episode. Learning more about who Michonne was before she met Andrea is a welcome development, and her backstory, as well as her interactions with Carl this week go a long way towards adding dimension to the character. The buildup of Terminus continues to be fascinating, and the presence of both Carol and Michonne in the same location is bound to make the storyline involving them fascinating. The absences of Darryl, Maggie, Sasha, and Beth this week are somewhat glaring; however, the fractured nature of the group continues to allow for more storytelling opportunities, which in turn continues to make it worth watching. Michael Cudlitz effectively proves himself to be a valuable addition to the show this week, and his portrayal of Abraham Ford promises to be a fun character. Rosita’s lack of dialogue is a disappointing development of the week, made more so by the show’s characterisation of her as lovestruck and little else to date. Hopefully the character becomes more active and fully fleshed out over the next few episodes. What’s the true nature of Terminus, how Rick and Carol react to meeting each other once again, as well as what Eugene’s true motives are, are stories worth keeping an eye on over the course of the season and beyond.
– Deepayan Sengupta
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